The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has commissioned a 1000-seating capacity mega Computer Based Test (CBT) centre in Kaduna.
The centre said to be the largest in West Africa has four units each of 250 seaters with the capacity to conduct the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination for 4,000 candidates per day.
While inaugurating the N1.19 billion CBT centre along the Tafawa Balewa Way, Kaduna, the state governor, Malam Nasir El-Rufai and the Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu. hailed the JAMB Registrar, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede for his prudent management of resources.
According to them, the JAMB boss has proven that Nigeria will progress if public institutions are manned by upright, honest and dedicated public servants.
While at the commissioning centre, El-Rufai noted that his successor would continue to support the Board to expand its facilities in the state.
He noted that when the idea was muted about four years ago to build “Professional Testing Centres”, the state did all it could to support the Board in its effort in reforming JAMB.
El-Rufai said: “All we have done to waive any monetary compensation on this land, is in recognition of the good work that Professor Oloyede is doing.
“We are immensely proud of the transformation and reforms he has introduced in JAMB and, as state governments, we are all beneficiaries of the huge surpluses that you have remitted to the federation account and it is therefore our duty to do whatever we can to support you. Any financial waiver given to JAMB is to the benefit of the states of Nigeria”.
The Minister of Education said that JAMB, under Prof. Oloyede had, despite its huge remittances to the Federal Government coffers, remained a leading light in public project execution.
Adamu added that the Board has demonstrated capacity and determination in its effort to reposition the examination body, noting that all it needed at the moment was the support of all and sundry.
He noted that the implementation of the computer-based test mode of assessing candidates was a brainchild of necessity with so many advantages that it had largely eliminated “the problem of examination misconduct, engendered faster release of results, as well as, enhanced the credibility of the entire assessment process”.
“I have been briefed that this project is executed for the sum of N1,198,764, 285.
“This is besides the Mega CBT Centre built in Gbongan, Osogbo, Owerri and the various renovations of many more in addition to the ones constructed through its partnership with the Nigerian Communication Commission.
“Permit me to use this opportunity to commend JAMB for its tireless efforts in sanitising the processes for admitting candidates into our tertiary institutions”, the Minister added.
On his part, the JAMB Registrar commended El-Rufai’s effort at ensuring that the project came to light.
He recalled that the project was conceived in 2018 with an initial design for a 500-capacity CBT centre, noting, however, that “after the competitive bidding process, the Board approved the contract for the construction of a 500 (550 with the 10 per cent backup) capacity Professional Test Centre at the cost of N205,556,303.14 on 13th May 2019.
“On a site visit to Kaduna in October 2021, management observed that the 2 holding rooms were large enough to accommodate two extra centres. A review was thus made, and the centres were adjusted to 1000 (actually 1,100) seat mega centres, each exclusively containing 275 computers (for 250 candidates) per session at an updated cost of N306, 615, 715.31 but without holding halls. It was at that stage that His Excellency, Governor El- Rufai came to our rescue, at no cost to the Board”.
